Dispenser for dental ingots



Aug. 6, 196s R. HQSPES 3,395,958

DISPENSER FOR DENTAL INGOTS Filed March l5, 1967 l 25(1/ L lJm. WM

"-3I ATT Nev United States Patent 3,395,958 DISPENSER FOR DENTAL INGOTSRichard Hospes, Huntington, N.Y., assignor to Julius Aderer, Inc., LongIsland City, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 13, 1967, Ser.No. 622,786 Claims. (Cl. S12-61) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispenserfor dental ingots having an enclosure for holding a plurality of stackedflat dental ingots, and a spring-driven plunger for advancing the stackas each leading ingot is slid edgewise from the front of the stack byfinger-contact until it is emitted from the dispenser. A window isprovided adjacent the ingot dispensing aperture, so that the ingotsremaining in the dispenser can be viewed. The plunger is formed so as tohide the spring from view through the window, to allow no more than apredetermined maximum quantity of ingots to be initially inserted intothe dispenser, and to allow a quick visual estimate through the windowof the proportion of initial ingots remaining in the dispenser by theratio of visible ingots to visible plunger.

Background of the invention In dental laboratories where dentures arecustom manufactured, the dental technicians must be supplied dentalingots of precious metal (eg. dental gold) for fabrication of thedenture parts, such as crowns, bridges and the like.

It is easy to lose or misplace the dental ingots, which are generallyflat squares a fraction of an inch on a side, and perhapsone-thirtysecond of an inch -in thickness. It is also easy to pilferthem for the same reason. Moreover, the dental technician needs a meansof keeping track of how many ingots he has used during a given period,and he needs ample warning as to when to secure more from stock or hissource of supply so that he is not caught short of ingots withoutrealizing it.

What is needed in the dental ingot use eld then, is a dispenser thatprevents loss of ingots, keeps them handy before and during use, andallows ample warning of depletion so that more can be secured.

Brief summary of the invention A dispenser is provided for holding aplurality of stacked dental ingots. A plunger and spring combinationwithin the dispenser is so arranged in form and proportions that thespring cannot be seen through a window in the dispenser, yet all theing-ots within the dispenser can be seen.

As the ingots are dispensed by manual sliding of the leading ingots, oneby one, out a lateral slot in the dispenser, the plunger advancesproportionately. At all times then, the proportion of ingots remainingcan be quickly estimated through the window by comparing the remainingstack length visible therethrough to the length of plunger visibletherethrough.

If desired, the plunger proportions can be further arranged so that whenthe plunger is bottomed to admit the greatest number of ingots ininitial loading, a predetermined number will be accommodated so thatcounting at initial loading is unnecessary.

The dispenser according to the invention is very simple and economicalto manufacture, and so can be employed as the retail package for theingots as well as the dispenser therefor.

FPice Brief description of the figures An illustrative embodiment of theinvention is set forth hereinbelow in a detailed description of theinvention with reference to the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser according to the inventionshowing a dental ingot in the process of being slidably emitted from thedispenser in the direction indicated by the illustrative arrow thereon;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the parts shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along plane 3-3 of FIG. 1 showinginternal details of construction of the dispenser;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the dispensing end shown in FIG. 1 showing thedental ingot in the process of being emitted in the direction of theillustrative arrow thereon;

FIG. 5 is a bottom partial view of the dispenser shown in FIG. l; and

FIG. 6 is a top partial view of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1 showinginternal parts in broken outline.

Referring now to the figures, there is shown in FIG. l a dispenserindicated generally at 10 according to the invention. It should beclearly understood that the dispenser 10 and all the component partsthereof are shown double-size in the figures for purposes of clarity,and that in the typical construction a dispenser according to theinvention will occupy only about one-eighth the volume of a dispenserhaving the dimensions illustrated in the figures. That is to say, adispenser according to the invention will typically be one and afraction inches long and a fraction of an inch in transverse dimensions.

The dispenser 10 comprises a generally rectangular parallelopipedenclosure 11 having a top panel 12, a pair of side panels 13, 14, and apair of end panels 15, 16, so that the enclosure 11 is open downwardlyas may be clearly seen in FIG. 2. A bottom cover plate 17 of generallyrectangular configuration is provided, having outside length and widthdimensions very slightly greater than the inside length and widthdimensions of the rectangular enclosure 11 at the bottom portionthereof. As may be partially seen `in FIG. 2 in full outline and in FIG.5 in broken outline, the lower inside edges of said panels 13, 14 arestepped or recessed at 13a, 14a to provide an indexing support surfacefor the bottom cover plate 17 when it is pressed into flush engagementbetween side panels 13, 14 and end panels 15, 16 to form a completerectangular parallelopiped enclosure having two orifices thereinpresently to be described.

The rectangular enclosure 11, with the bottom cover plate 17 in place,and with other parts presently to be described housed therein, isintended to contain, in stacked relation, a plurality of individualdental ingots 20 in the form of flat rectangular, in the illustratedembodiment flat square, platelets of a precious metal suitable fordental work, e.g. gold. The individual ingots 20 have, in addition torelatively uniform major dimensions, a relatively uniform thickness, allto the end that a relatively precise amount of metal is contained ineach ingot 20, so that the amount of metal employed by a given dentaltechnician or other user of the ingots can be controlled and metered. Inaddition, the relatively precise dimensions of the ingots 20, andparticularly the rel-atively precise thickness thereof, allows a seatand precise dispensing action, as will presently be described.

In top panel 12 is formed an aperture 25 which performs a dual function.The aperture 25 is defined by a slot portion 25a (FIG. 2) which islocated in the portion of top panel 12 immediately adjacent the innerface of end panel 15, and an intersecting window portion 25b extendingat right angles to slot portion 25a for approximately one-half thelength of the top panel 12 and having a fraction of the transverse widthof slot portion 25a. It will be understood that slot portion 25a isslightly greater in its major opening dimension than the transversedimension of one of ingots 20, andthat it is slightly greater in itsminor opening dimension than the thickness of one of ingots 20.Moreover, the major edge of slot 25a closest to end panel 15 is alignedwith the inner face of end panel 15, so that an ingot 20 resting againstthe inner face of end panel 15 can slide smoothly along the inner faceof end panel 15 out of slot portion 25a (FIG. 3).

In end panel 15 is located an aperture 15a (FIGS. 2 and 3) which servesas a finger hole for touching the most adjacent one of ingots 20 toslide it upwardly out of slot portion 25a. Aperture 15a is borderedadjacent top panel 12 by an inwardly beveled edge 15b, and adjacent sidepanels 13 and 14 by inwardly beveled edges 15C, 15d respectively (FIG.4). Aperture 15a extends downwardly to intersect with the downwardlyopen bottom of enclosure 11 (FIG. 2), so that aperture 15a is borderedon three sides by beveled edges 15b-15d, forming a three sided frame forretaining an ingot 20 at the inner face of end panel 15. The bottomcover plate 17 includes a rectangular notch 17a-17e (FIG. 2) at the endthereof lying adjacent to aperture 15a when plate 17 is set into placeat the underside of enclosure 11. The notch end faces 17a, 17c areapproximately as deep as the thickness of an ingot 20, and the mainnotch face 17a is not as wide as the transverse dimension of an ingot20, and preferably it is as wide as the opening 15a between lateralfbeveled edges 15e, 15d. Since the notch 17a-17C is not as wide as aningot 20, the ingot 20 cannot be slid downwardly out of notch 17a-17e`when plate 17 is in place in enclosure 11. However, notch 17a-17e iswide enough to cooperate with aperture 15a so that the bottom edge 20a(FIG. 3) of the ingot 20 resting against the inner face of end panel 15can be intercepted by a finger introduced into aperture 15a at the lowerportion thereof adjacent plate 17 to start the upward movement of theingot 20. This is somewhat more convenient land ecient than employingonly finger friction against the major face of the leading ingot 20.

A plunger member 30 having an L-shaped outline formed by a short legportion 31 and a longer leg portion 32 at right angles to portion 31 isprovided for axial plunger movement within rectangular enclosure 11 inthe direction of the major axis thereof, The short leg portion 31 hasappropriate transverse dimensions to move smoothly and easily broadsidewithin the transverse cavity of rectangular enclosure 11 with bottomcover plate 17 in place. To achieve this, short leg portion 31 shouldhave transverse dimensions only slightly smaller than the insidedimensions of the aforesaid cavity. The longer leg portion 32 willpreferably have essentially the same width -as the short leg portion 31,and will have a major dimension or length preferably not greater thanthe distance from the inner face of end panel 16 to the most adjacentend of window portion 25h. The plunger member 30 is inserted into thecavity within rectangular enclosure 11 through the bottom openingthereinto when the bottom cover plate 17 is removed in the generalorientation shown in the exploded view of FIG. 2, so that the longer legportion 32 is in fiush contact with the inner face of the top panel 12,with the short leg portion 31 oriented toward the end panel 15.

Disregarding for the moment the ingots 20, the plunger member 30 isthereby capable of moving along the longitudinal axis of the cavity inrectangular enclosure 11 between two extremes, the first of which findsthe short leg portion 31 lying ush against the inner face of end panel15, and the other one of which finds the free end 32a of longer legportion 32 in abutment with the inner face of end panel 16, this latterposition involving the short leg portion 31 lying sufficiently close tothe end panel 16 so that it is withdrawn from the portion of top panel12 occupied by window portion 25h, i.e. so that it is no longer visiblethrough window portion 25h. A compression spring 35 is provided forbiasing the plunger member 30 toward the first position just described,i.e. toward -abutment with the inner face of end panel 15.

The free length of compression spring 35 should be greater than thedistance vbetween the inner faces of end panels 15 and 16 and thediameter, pitch, and material of the spring 35 should be such that itcan be housed within rectangular enclosure 11 with the bottom coverplate 17 in place and provide a desired degree of force upon plungermember 30 even when it is in the first of the above-.mentionedpositions, i.e. in abutment of the inner face of end panel 15.Furthermore, the pitch and other characteristics of spring 35 should besuch that the spring does not bottom within the range of movementalready described for plunger member 30, i.e. so that the spring doesnot bottom up to and including the point where the plunger member 30abuts the free end 32a thereof lagainst the inner face of end panel 16.

With the plunger member 30 and spring 35 in place as has just beendescribed and as is illustrated in the figures, there is provided avariable cavity between the short leg portion 31 of the plunger member30 and the inner iface of end panel 15. The plunger 30 is biased by thespring 35 so that it tends to minimize the longitudinal dimension ofthis cavity. 1t will be noted that viewed from outside top panel 12, thecompression spring 35 is never visible when the internal parts are inplace, because the longer leg portion 32 of plunger member 30 shieldsthe spring 35 from View in all positions of the plunger member 30. Thisis an important feature of the invention.

The dispenser 10 is intended to be employed, as aforesaid, with aplurality of dental ingots 20 of precious metal. Conveniently, thedimensions of the dispenser 10 can be arranged so that a prescribednumber of ingots 20 are to be accommodated, eg. ten ingots 20. Underthese circumstances after the internal parts 30, 35 have been assembledas aforesaid, the ten ingots 20 `will be stacked and the plunger 30 willbe manually pushed against the bias spring 35 until the free end 35aabuts the inner face of end panel 16. It is a feature of the inventionthat, if desired, automatic counting of the ingots 20 initially insertedinto the dispenser 10 can be provided at this point. That is to say,when the end portion 32a abuts in the manner just described, a knowndistance will exist between the inner face of end panel 15 and the Ifaceof short leg portion 31 of plunger member 30 opposite thereto. Thisdistance can be arranged, in a given instance, to equal the stackedheight of a known number of ingots 20. For example, the distance justdescribed can equal the stacked height of ten ingots 20.-In that case,moving the plunger 30 to the position where end 32a abuts the inner faceof end panel 16 allows the insertion of precisely ten ingots, andaccordingly automatically provides a counting function if desired.

After the plurality of ingots has been inserted, the bottom cover plate17 is pressed into place so that its outer surface is tlush with theedges of panels 13-16 and so that notch 17a-17e lies under aperture 15a,and the dispenser 10 is ready ifor the dispensing of individual ingots20. The individual ingot 20 abutting the inner face of end panel 15 willbe immediately adjacent to and aligned with the slot portion 25a `in toppanel 12, and if the fingertip or another object controlled by the useris inserted through aperture 15a into contact with the broad surface ofthat ingot, or under the edge 20a thereof lying above notch 17a-17e, theingot can be slid upwardly to egress through the slot portion 25a in themanner shown in process in FIG. 1 and in the direction indicated by theillustrative arrow applied to the ingot in question in that figure.v Itwill be understood that Y as soon as the ingot in question has beencleared of slot portion 25a the compression spring 35 will have driventhe next adjacent ingot 20 against the inner face of end panel 15 tooccupy the position just left by the previously dispensed ingot.

It is an additional and important feature of the invention that thequantity of ingots not yet dispensed is clearly visible through thewindow portion 25b in top panel 12. That is, when the full complement orinitial loading of ingots 20 is in place, the plunger 30 will be drivenout of sight as viewed by the window portion 25b, and there `will beseen therethrough, to continue the illustration mentioned above, teningots 20. As the ingots 20 are individually dispensed, the plunger 30will move further and further toward the inner face of end panel 15, andas viewed through window portion 25b there will be seen acorrespondingly greater portion of the longer leg portion 32 of plunger30. There is thus provided not only a clear view of the quantity ofingots 20 not yet dispensed, but also a clear view of the quantityalready dispensed as represented by the portion of longer leg portion 32visible through window portion 25b.

For example, if in looking through window portion 25b the visibleportion of longer leg portion 32 is equal in length to the length alongthe remaining stack of ingots 20, then the inference can quickly bedrawn that onehalf of the original stack of ingots 20 has beendispensed. It is always possible to count the number of ingots 20 notyet dispensed by viewing them through the window portion 25b, but it isan additional and important feature of the invention that for the reasonjust described, the dispenser according to the invention allows theproportion or quantity of ingots 20 remaining to be quickly estimated ata glance. To that end, it is convenient to provide the surface of longerleg portion 32 facing window portion 25b with a color which is sharplycontrasting to the Icolor of the ingots 20. Por example, the color blackcan ibe provided to contrast with the color gold in the case of goldingots 20. This makes it very easy to see at a glance what proportion ofingots 20 remain.

The dispenser 10 is intended to be a throw-away item used as a packageas well as a dispenser for the dental ingots 20. It can however serve asa re-usable dispenser if desired, by the simple Iexpedient of removingbottom cover plate 17 and inserting a fresh stack of ingots 20 in themanner already described.

By the use of dispenser 10 a careful control is possible of the `amountof precious metal given to each dental technician in a laboratory forthe purpose of making dentures. Further, there is provided a means forsafeguarding or at least not misplacing the ingots 20 on the apart ofthe dental technician himself. Moreover, there is provided a veryconvenient means of keeping track of the number of ingots used so thatprocurement of a new batch, by the technician is forewarned andfacilitated. And yet, despite this, the dispenser 10 is fabricated fromonly four parts which can be very simply and economically manufacturedin plastic except for the spring 25, which should of course be in anappropriate spring material (not excluding plastic) so that it isfeasible to provide it as a throw-away item, if desired. This is aunique combination of qualities which provides a highly desirableexpedient in this art.

The invention has been described with reference to a presently preferredbut merely illustrative embodiment thereof, and it will lbe understoodby those skilled in the art to `be illustrative, not limiting.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispenser-package for flat, rectangular dental ingots, comprising:

(a) an enclosure for holding a plurality of said ingots in stackedrelation, including (i) a transverse dispensing slot in one longitudinalpanel of said enclosure aligned with the inner face of one end panel ofsaid enclosure, said slot having dimensions allowing only one said ingotat a time therethrough edgewise,

(ii) an elongated window in said one longitudinal panel, intersectingsaid slot and extending along said one longitudinal panelpart of the waytoward the inner face of the end panel of said enclosure remote fromsaid one end panel, and

(iii) an aperture in said one end panel sufliciently large so as toallow access therethrough with a fingertip, but sufficiently small sothat one of said ingots can be retained broadside against the remainingstack of said one end panel,

(b) a plunger for longitudinal movement within said enclosure, including(i) transverse means facing said one end panel, and adapted to bearagainst that one of said stack of ingots most remote from said one endpanel and said slot, and

(ii) longitudinal means connected to said transverse means, comprising apanel adapted to slidably lie against or adjacent to the inner face ofsaid one longitudinal panel, and having sufficient width and length tocompletely underlie and thereby cover said window when said transversemeans is in Contact with the inner face of said one end panel, and

(c) a compression spring contained within said enclosure bearing uponsaid transverse means and the inner face of the end panel remote fromsaid one end panel, to bias said plunger toward said one end panel innerface.

2. A dispenser-package according to claim 1, wherein the length of saidplunger longitudinal means is additionally such that the entire plungercan be moved far enough away from the inner face of said one panel to bewithdrawn completely from beneath said window.

3. A dispenserapackage according to claim 2, wherein the length of saidplunger longitudinal means is the same as the length of said onelongitudinal panel of said enclosure from the end of said window remotefrom said one end panel to the inner face of said end panel remote fromsaid one end panel, so that when said plunger is bottomed against saidremote end panel inner face a certain number of ingots can be stackedbetween said plunger transverse means and the inner face of said one endpanel, and all of these ingots and no portion of the plunger will bevisible through said window, thereby allowing quick visual estimate ofthe proportion of ingots dispensed or remaining by comparing theproportion of ingot stack versus the proportion -of plunger longitudinalmeans visible through said window.

4. A dispenser-package according to claim 3, wherein the color of saidplunger longitudinal means is selected to contrast visually with thecolor of said ingots.

5. A dispenser-package according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinalpanel of said enclosure opposite to said one longitudinal panel isremovable for gaining access to the interior of said enclosure.

6. A dispenser-package according to claim 5, wherein said removablelongitudinal panel is press-tit to said enclosure between the remainingtwo longitudinal panels.

7. A dispenser-package according to claim 6, wherein there is provided,along the adjacent inner edges of each of said tw-o longitudinal panels,a stepped recess, so that said removable longitudinal panel is heldflush with said inner edges by said stepped recesses.

8. A dispenser-package according to claim 5 wherein said aperture insaid one end panel extends completely to the extreme edge thereofadjacent said removable longitudinal panel, and wherein said removablelongitudinal panel includes, at the end thereof adjacent said aperture,a notch about as thick but not as wide as one of said ingots, so thatsaid aperture and said notch combine to allow the ingot against theinner face of said one end panel 7 8 located remote from said slot to becontacted with the References Cited nger to start the sliding ejectionof that ingot out of UNITED STATES PATENTS a'd l t. s 1 so 977,30511/1910 Heppe 312-71 9. A dispenser-package according to claim 1,wherein said plunger is L-shaped in action, said transverse means 53,248,156 4/1966 RPkO 31271 being the shorter panel, and saidlongitudinal means be- 3,286,823 11/1966 Gluesple 312-61 XR ing thelonger panel secured thereto at a right angle.

10. A dispenser-package according to claim 9, wherein BOBBY R GAYPrlmary Examiner said enclosure, and said plunger are fabricated inplastic. I. L. KOHNEN, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,395,958 August 6, 1968 Richard Hospes pears in the above identified Itis certified that error ap t are hereby corrected as patent and thatsaid Letters Paten shown below:

Column 2, line 42, "said" Should read side line 63, "seat" should readneat Column 3, line 19, "I3 and I4" should read l3, lll Column 7, line2, "action" should read section (SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, IR.

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer

